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Emerald makes a dream come true!

 

 

It certainly is going to be a fairy-tale wedding for local Vaal residents Maryke Fouche and Morne Bekker after winning a dream-come-true wedding to the value of R55 000 at Emerald Resort & Casino’s Wedding Open Day.

The engaged couple recently attended Emerald Resort & Casino’s Open Wedding Day which showcased the spectacular Resort as an ideal wedding venue for dreamy ceremonies and receptions.

“It is so amazing to see the expression on people’s faces when they win something unexpectedly and that they considered out of their reach,” says Tanuja Gangabishun, Marketing Executive at Emerald Resort & Casino. “We just love making those dreams come true.”

According to the winner, Maryke Fouche, they have been dating for more than eight years when, now fiancée, Morne took the initiative to pop the big question and get engaged. “To start planning our future, we took the plunge to move into a bigger place, obviously at the cost of having the dream wedding I’ve wanted since I was a little girl. We could only imagine about that perfect wedding until Emerald Resort & Casino made it possible after we won the competition.

Morne and I would like to thank Emerald Resort & Casino for an amazing day and we really look forward to taking advantage of all the facilities here when we get married in March or April next year.”

The happy couple won an entire wedding package prize that includes welcome drinks, canapés, plated starter and a buffet main course and dessert, venue hire for the ceremony and reception, PA system, dance floor with stage and a luxurious stay at the Honeymoon Bush Lodge haven.

“Wedding days are truly one of those days that are never forgotten,” concludes Tanuja. “From each and every one of the team members here at Emerald Resort & Casino we wish all the couples and guests that joined us on our Open Wedding Day luck and happiness as they plan for this big step.”

For all up to date information on events, promotions and happenings at Emerald Resort & Casino, visitors are encouraged to stay close to their Facebook and Twitter pages, or guests can visit www.emeraldcasino.co.za for more information on any of the events mentioned here.

Emerald Resort & Casino.

Tel:                              016 982 8000

Website                       www.emeraldcasino.co.za

Facebook:                   http://www.facebook.com/Emerald.Resort.Casino

Twitter:                        https://twitter.com/emerald_resort

LinkedIn:                     https://www.linkedin.com/company/emerald-resort-&-casino/

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Say hello to Generation Alpha

Sean Sullivan – Business Unit Manager at The MediaShop

Bracing and gearing our businesses for the onslaught of the future consumer is key to remaining relevant in the media industry and beyond. The new human is wired very differently and if we don’t comprehend their world, we will fail to connect with them.

Generation Z are the first true digital natives; their brains are mapped in a different way. They don’t know a world without smartphones, Google or voice command. So what can we expect from their children, Generation Alpha? It’s a scary thought that perhaps we can’t fully comprehend yet.

Coined by sociologist Mark McCrindle , the term Generation Alpha applies to children born between 2010 and 2025. According to McCrindle, an estimated 2.5 million Alphas are born globally every week.

What consumer businesses need to remember is that these generations don’t wait around to ask questions; they’re more than comfortable just searching for the information they need online. As such, they need to be taught differently and brands need to interact with them and sell to them in a very different way.

Generation Alpha is a growing and lucrative consumer market. Collectively their spending power is huge. These kids are marketing’s newest power brokers. They’re already playing an outsize role in household buying decisions, even though the oldest among them is only 9 years old. These children are as comfortable swiping a tablet or speaking to a voice assistant than most of their adult relatives are. They pick up tech intuitively and constantly consume information and entertainment. They’re learning soft skills at an unprecedented rate: problem-solving, multi-tasking and quick thinking. Their biggest desire? Devices and screen time.

 The Enhanced Human

Unlike their parents, the millennials or informally known as digital natives, many Alphas will have a digital footprint before they are even born. Celebrity kids like Prince William and Duchess Catherine’s son, George , already has an Instagram account, managed by his parents. Generation Alpha is the first group who will be immersed in technology their entire lives. These kids are also referred to as the Glass Generation because their glass-fronted devices will be completely integrated with their lifestyle, they will not know communication without it. This generation might be the first to truly embody the enhancement to humanity that technology can be, in their lifestyle and perception:

  • They will be living at 5G speeds in terms of internet and the rate of consumption. It’s instant gratification like never before.
  • It’s the five year old who can rock a YouTube search before they can read.
  • They’re expected to be the wealthiest, most highly-educated and technologically-connected group to date.
  • Studying to master’s level will become the norm for most.
  • The rest will avoid the higher education system altogether and opt for online learning (self-learning is a norm for these kids).
  • They will take on jobs that don’t yet exist.

Demanding

It’s not just the instant gratification at the speed of 5G that makes this generation demanding, it’s their slightly scary level of self-assurance too. They live and consume on their own terms. They only know the world as one of instant and self-curated access. They navigate Netflix in their sleep, Siri and Alexa are their Aunties, and they won’t believe you when you try and explain the world before Spotify. They have every tool they could ever need at the tips of their fingers and on voice command.

 Collective Mindset

Although they’re engrossed in screens, this generation may be the one to fix the disconnection and loneliness of which millennials have taken the brunt. Generation Alpha may be the ones to successfully bridge the gap between digital worlds and the real world because they recognize the entire globe as one big group of friends.

Marketing to these children requires simple, detailed content which will assist in cultivating consumer loyalty at a young age. From the onset, Alphas would have been widely exposed to multiple digital platforms. Businesses will have to adapt to radically new ways of interacting and communicating with Alphas, compared to their parents. Generation Alpha’s consumer experience will have to be seamless and integrated, with a personalised online experience. This will provide new opportunities for marketers. Alpha kids are watching less TV than previous generations, so marketers need different ways to reach them such as tapping into a rising crop of child influencers who have their own Instagram pages and YouTube channels with subscriber counts well into the millions.

They are digitally-savvy humanoids and social media connoisseurs; and I’m looking forward to their impact on society.

Sources: Flux trends, Vice.com, Scarymommy.com

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Cry our beloved SMEs…It’s time we play our part!

Lukhanyo Bushwana, Strategist at The MediaShop

In recent months there has been a lot of talk about our deteriorating economy and calls for President Ramaphosa to come up with strategies and policies to rectify the situation we are in.

Government has identified SMEs as one of the crucial sectors that can drive our economy and create jobs for our people. However, with less than 1% of our R42 billion in adspend going to black owned agencies, SMEs in SA continue to struggle. The marketing and advertising industry needs to be doing more.

The vast majority of SMEs in SA don’t survive beyond three years. These are some of the challenges they face every day:

To help SMEs deal with these challenges government, together with a number of big corporates including Vodacom, Sasol, Nedbank, Absa and Distell to name a few have formed a R1 billion SMEs Fund. The objective is to support SMEs financially and to equip them with the necessary skills to help them grow, develop mentorship programmes and provide them with access to markets and technology.

The Competition Amendment Bill aims to boost small and medium companies and open the economy to new investments and innovation, which has recently been signed into law by the President.

 Now let’s bring it home!

The Nielsen 2018 Adex survey indicates that out of the total advertising spend in South Africa, which is sitting at ±R42bn, less than 1% is spent with black-owned agencies (SMEs).

This is a clear indication that there is a lack of transformation in the marketing and advertising industry and why the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) had to formally introduce the Marketing Advertising and Communication Charter (MAC Charter) in a bid to get the industry to transform. Some of the big brands in SA are leading this transformation by partnering with both big and small agencies to ensure that their budgets and marketing efforts are shared equally.

As channel strategists, planners and buyers, we have a big role to play because we deal directly with a large number of SME’s that are our media partners and owners. So how can an individual or a business play their part in supporting SMEs in our industry?

As brands and media agencies, let’s include them in our briefs and lucrative proposals, offer guidance where necessary as some of them are new to our industry, but consider and include them in client campaign budgets, lend an ear and listen to what they have to offer.

Remember, we as individuals and as corporates have as much of a role to play in the future of our country as the

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SPARK Media executes another successful Sports Day

To thank and spoil their clients, SPARK Media has successfully held another annual Sports Day, themed ‘Spring Break’, complete with a variety of games to test the mental and physical ‘availability’ of their guests.

Attendees were spoiled from the moment of their arrival at the Bryanston Country Club right until the generous prize giving which saw each and every guest receiving a memento to take home. SPARK Media’s CEO, Gill Randall says: “We are so grateful to every person that made an effort to attend our annual Sports Day. It’s a small token of thanks from us to our clients and agency partners that was once again so incredibly well received.

Our aim is to continue to build meaningful connections with clients far from the pressures of the office in a completely relaxed environment.”

For golf lovers, prime fairways served as the ideal way to converse with friends, de-stress and, of course, time those drives to perfection. For those less inclined to traverse the greens, the Fun-a-Thon offered plenty amusement and more than just a few challenging tasks.

The mental workout of the afternoon quiz also formed an integral part of the day, and provided guests and SPARK Media staff with the chance to test their general knowledge and show off their intellectual prowess.

SPARK Media’s Director of Sales, Olav Westphal added: “We put a significant amount of effort into the Sports Day, but its success depends entirely on our clients. The day couldn’t work without their enthusiasm and positive mind sets. SPARK Media has a vibrant culture, and much of it is as a result of what clients bring to the table. They play a crucial role in the development of SPARK’s can-do personality, and for this we thank them.”

Although the 2019 edition of the SPARK Media Sports Day has come and gone, next year promises to be an event worth pencilling into calendars as early as possible.

“We’d like to thank everyone who participated in the raffle,” says Gill. “We managed to raise R5 600 for our longstanding charity, Hayani which runs both a much-needed crèche in Alexandra and an orphanage in Orange Grove.

We look forward to seeing you all in 2020.”

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The MediaShop dominates MOST Awards!

 

For the seventh time in the past ten years, The MediaShop Johannesburg has taken top honours at the annual MOST Awards. This year, The MediaShop Johannesburg was crowned Full Service Media Agency of the Year and overall Media Agency of the Year.

 “It is always humbling to be recognized by your industry peers and stakeholders. 2019 continues to be a spectacular year for us with all the evolution we are going through as an agency,” says Kgaugelo Maphai, Managing Director of The MediaShop Johannesburg. “I am immensely grateful to our management, staff and media owner partners who continue to support our journey towards a more diverse, inclusive, insights driven, pioneering agency.”

The MOST Awards celebrate excellence in the media industry and encourages healthy competition, and as a result, better service delivery. The annual highlight on the media industry’s networking calendar, the awards celebrates the sector’s best of the best in terms of service delivery, knowledge and innovation, but this year in particular offered an opportunity to reflect on the successes, challenges and changes in the media industry as revealed by MOST’s research survey, presented by Freshly Ground Insights Global.

“I’d like to make a special mention to The MediaShop Cape Town for taking second spot in both Media Agency of the Year and Specialist Media Agency of the Year and to our eight month old sister agency, Meta Media,  for making a remarkable entrance into the MOST Awards, taking a third overall in both these categories. We are all very proud members of the Park Advertising family!”

For more on The MediaShop visit www.mediashop.co.za, like them on Facebook: The MediaShop, follow them on Twitter @MediaShopZA or LinkedIn.

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Emerald celebrates its 21st!

Emerald Resort & Casino is turning a young 21 and everyone is invited to the party!

On Saturday 21 September, Emerald Resort & Casino is celebrating 21 years and is thrilled to share this day with all fans, followers, guests, friends and party revellers. Join the Resort as they enjoy a Family Fun Day with free live entertainment from the likes of Die Campbells, legendary South African band Dr Victor & The Rasta Rebels, Piet Pompies and Vernon Muso.

“We’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time,” says Tanuja Gangabishun, Marketing Executive at Emerald Resort & Casino. “As the premier family destination in the Vaal, what better way to celebrate our birthday than with a family fun day centred on family friendly activities.

Mouth-watering cuisine, a Rugby World Cup screening, New Zealand versus South Africa, on the grass area and a plethora of fun in the outdoors is what can be expected on the day.”

Besides its main birthday bash, the Resort will be offering select 21 Celebration specials. This will include a 2.1kg Mixed Grill challenge at Breeze, or let lady luck determine the discounts from Breeze or High Stakes by drawing two cards from the card deck. Guests are also invited to grab two shooters for R21 in the casino and get another free. Coupled with the fun, Aquadome and Animal World will be sporting their own specials over the birthday weekend of 20 to 22 September too.

Other specials available for the entire birthday month of September include:

  • Animal World, Kids pay only R21 for entry (Monday to Friday only)
  • Putt-Putt and Ten Pin Bowling, R21 per game
  • IZone, R21 per hour of gameplay
  • Chico’s Chicken, a full chicken, four bread rolls, box of chips and 2lt drink, R121

Emerald Resort & Casino’s 21st Birthday Family Fun Day

Date:               21 September 2019

Where:            Emerald Hotel lawn

Time:               11h00 to 18h00

Cost:                Absolutely no charge

“We’re about to be 21 years young and what a weekend of celebration it’s going to be,” concludes Tanuja. “Keep a close watch on all of our social media feeds as well as our website for even more birthday bash specials and happenings.”

For all up to date information on events, promotions and happenings at Emerald Resort & Casino, visitors are encouraged to stay close to their Facebook and Twitter pages, or guests can visit www.emeraldcasino.co.za for more information on any of the events mentioned here.

Emerald Resort & Casino.

Tel:                              016 982 8000

Website                       www.emeraldcasino.co.za

Facebook:                   http://www.facebook.com/Emerald.Resort.Casino

Twitter:                        https://twitter.com/emerald_resort

LinkedIn:                    https://www.linkedin.com/company/emerald-resort-&-casino/

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Reaching the base of the pyramid consumer

Lorraine Gwewera, Digital Strategist at The MediaShop

Two years ago I was exposed to a course that completely blew my mind but also spoke to my heart. It was entitled “Innovating Business at the Base” and was coupled with the book “New Markets, New Mindsets”. It was quite eye opening content and exciting for me, both as a marketer and a consumer in a third world country where socioeconomic factors are dominant when it comes to addressable marketing.

The most exciting consumer segment is the base-of-the-pyramid consumer, mainly because that’s where the majority of South Africa’s population lies. This segment proves to be a challenge for most brands because they have to be highly relevant, speak to a specific need and find innovative ways to grab the attention of this consumer. Brands accomplish this with the right product tapped into the correct mind-set, needs and trust relationships of low income earners.

The growth of brands lies in this untapped market which has a lot of potential. Credit Suisse wrote that global inequality is one of the biggest threats to worldwide growth. Can brands afford to cater only to the needs of the wealthy and middle class when the bulk of the population in developing economies resides in the lower income space? Of course not.

The revenue from the base of the pyramid market is far less a victim of fluctuating economic cycles and can actually be a stable revenue base during economic downturns, which is essentially what we need in the current economic climate that South Africa and Africa as a whole is experiencing.

Innovating business at the base allows organisations to offer new technologies, operating methods, and management approaches which increase productivity, gain efficiency and expand markets by serving new needs. We need more brands that take the time to know what the base of the pyramid consumer needs – what their expectations and aspirations are.

Brands need to know what this segment’s reason for being is and tailor their products accordingly. Base of the pyramid consumers are predominantly located in townships and rural areas which are infrastructurally marginalised, and coupled with limited disposable income, gives rise to the need for reverse innovation, consumer centric design and frugal engineering which are critical in this space. Collaboration, partnerships and social and business networks are key for social embeddedness which is vital in these markets.

MNC’s, social entrepreneurs and governments have undertaken a shift in thinking in order to cater for this consumer. We applaud brands that have paid attention to this segment and created products that speak to their needs like Nestlé, Nedbank, McCain, Unilever and Danone, to name a few, have done. Danone’s yoghurt is filling and does not require refrigeration, providing the brand with an opportunity to penetrate this consumer segment with a nutritious dairy product that’s affordable and is cognisant of the realities that this segment faces such as no refrigeration, electricity and the need for a filling food product.

From a media perspective we have several solutions that help us communicate with the BOP consumer while minimising wastage. African Language Stations (ALS) and community radio stations such as JoziFM help us reach this consumer effectively. TV also plays a vital role through the use of free to air channels such as SABC1 and 2, Openview HD, eTV, community TV like Soweto TV and DSTV access which is the more affordable package on the direct broadcast satellite service packages.

Out of Home media offers commuter media, taxi branding, taxi TV, rank TV and rank radio which makes this consumer segment very accessible. Digital media makes things more exciting considering we are a mobile first continent. The provision of placements such as Facebook Lite, sponsored calls, sponsored SMS, Please Call Me’s in text and video, sponsored WIFI, Opera Mini and zero rated services such as Freebasics by Facebook to name a few certainly help the cause.

So just when you thought we were faced with an impossible challenge to reach bottom of the pyramid consumers, you find that we actually have the capability and the means, we just need to be strategic about tapping into this market that can make a massive difference to a brand’s bottom line.

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eSports Marketing is massive in SA but where are the advertisers?

Globally, the video gaming industry is seven times the size of the music business and three times the size of Hollywood. In South Africa, the gaming industry is expected to bring in revenue to the tune of R3.6 billion by the end of 2019. So why are brands not taking advantage?

Michael King, Head of Reprise Digital, an IPG Mediabrands company, says that despite the massive audience that makes up gamers in South Africa, only a tiny portion of brands are getting involved. “In the last couple of years the gaming industry has grown to half a billion people globally with the industry showing a 30%-50% growth year on year for the past three years. In 2020, streaming of games is expected to reach the same viewership as the NFL. That’s massive! I’m predicting that within the next two or three Olympics, there’ll be a competitive gaming section included.”

Consider a couple of gaming tournaments that have just concluded at a global level. The International, a Dota 2 Competition, had a prize pool of $30 million! That’s an event ten times more lucrative than the Tour de France. To put it into perspective, if you were one of the players in the winning team you would’ve earned more money than Djokovic or Halep for winning Wimbledon in 2019.

“There is a great opportunity for digital marketers in South Africa to reach one of the biggest growth industries in the world tied to one of the hardest to reach audiences – Generation Ys and Zs. We know that this market does not respond to traditional ‘push’ methods of advertising. Rather, they respond to friend reviews, suggestions and online ‘word of mouse’ to shape their decision making processes. This is why influencer marketing is so successful in this space.  According to BigCommerce.com, nearly 90% of all marketers find that ROI from Influencer Marketing is comparable to, or better, than other marketing channels.

Its commonplace to see gaming related brands like Xbox, Playstation, Razer etc dominate the advertising space to this market on platforms like YouTube and Twitch but more recently the likes of Red Bull and Gillette have entered this space on an international scale.

“Sure, eSports in South Africa is currently tiny in comparison to the global market but R3.6 billion in South Africa is nothing to sneeze at. The local gaming industry is offering huge opportunities to reach the younger audience and gives brands the opportunity to get in early. Vodacom for instance is the headline sponsor for the annual rAge expo in September this year and there are so many more opportunities for brands outside of the gaming category to capitalise on this market.

The future is bright for eSports in this country and we’re excited to watch it develop and grow over the next few years. Brands that are brave enough to jump into this category will absolutely reap the rewards of their investment.”

Reprise Digital SA DNA

Reprise is a digital-first agency, and everything we do is rooted in understanding how consumers interact across apps, sites, IOT-devices, bots, search engines, and social platforms. We uncover your audience based upon their digital fingerprints – and build a media approach to help transform your business digitally. Reprise has the ability to fuse smart digital approaches for our media agency partners in smart and sophisticated ways.

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Online Shopping in South Africa popular with women

According to IPG Mediabrands’ specialist digital agency Reprise, South Africa’s ecommerce industry, while still in its infancy, is showing strong growth thanks to high mobile penetration, secure payment options and changing spending habits.

Natasha Courtney, Social Media Manager at Reprise South Africa says: “Currently only a quarter of South African retailers are spending through digital channels but with more of the population shifting their behaviour and budgets to online shopping, more retailers are making their products and services available online all the time.”

Women especially prefer interactive and easy-to-use options that allow them to share their shopping experiences with other users, and to get feedback and user ratings about the products or services they’re interested in purchasing. “Out of the 39% of women who are actively shopping online in South Africa, there was one predominant reason they enjoyed shopping this way – convenience,” says Natasha.

Digital shopping platform ThinkOver says that 89% of women will wait for an item to go on sale before purchasing. More than half of respondents (55%) said they continuously check a retailer’s website for sales while 58% monitor their inboxes for sale alerts. What’s more, 75% of women said they get upset when an item they wanted to buy went on sale and they weren’t aware of it.

When it comes to preferred payment terms, 54% of South African shoppers like to pay cash on delivery. When asked about debit card payments, 52% of consumers preferred this method – quite an even split. “Loyalty programmes are a big part of a woman’s shopping experience with the study finding that 80% percent of women belong to store loyalty programmes,” she says. “And we’re spending a lot of time online – the majority of female shoppers spend an average of an hour a day looking for great deals before we buy.”

For South African female consumers, the three most popular categories of online purchases are clothing, entertainment and education, and tickets for events. Over 75% of women stated that they go online and choose what they want to purchase before they go out, suggesting that most purchases are pre-meditated and not a spur of the moment decision.

“Pick n Pay’s integrated annual report for 2018 showed a 70% increase in its customers visiting their website from a mobile device since they launched their online grocery shop,” says Natasha. “But there are some down sides too – when purchasing clothing online, some women say that the clothing sizes are incorrect on delivery and the return policies and overall service turnaround times are the areas that need attention from retailers.

Poor user experience on websites is another deterrent to online shopping.

Mobile technology is transforming e-commerce in Africa, and consumers are actually more likely to have a mobile device than a bank account,” she says. “South Africans are also becoming more comfortable with mobile shopping due to, for example, easy-to-use apps for ordering car rides or food becoming more commonplace.”

This research shows that the online shopping industry is growing and is set to grow even more in the coming years. It is also clear that consumers will choose online payment partners they can trust, and that provide peace of mind that the security of their financial information will be a priority.

“For now, traditional shopping habits still dominate in South Africa but with almost half the population set to make an online purchase in the next year, it is clear that the ecommerce market has huge potential and will continue to grow year on year. It’s hugely exciting for retailers and consumers alike!”

Reprise Digital SA DNA

Reprise is a digital-first agency, and everything we do is rooted in understanding how consumers interact across apps, sites, IOT-devices, bots, search engines, and social platforms. We uncover your audience based upon their digital fingerprints – and build a media approach to help transform your business digitally. Reprise has the ability to fuse smart digital approaches for our media agency partners in smart and sophisticated ways.

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